ALCOHOL MARKER INSTRUCTOR AND SPECIALIST. As former Certification Instructor for both Copic and Spectrum Noir, I have a wide variety of knowledge to assist all types of alcohol Markers... Now also teaching watercolor stamping and assorted card classes.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

A few members of the Spectrum Noir team have gotten together to celebrate Christmas in July! We have an inspiration-filled blog hop today, along with a few great prizes! If you have arrived here from Leann Chivers blog, you are in the right place. If not, pop over to the Spectrum Noir blog, so you don't miss a thing!

Here is my project (I know two - hope you don't mind but I couldn't pick)

I used Sent with Love from the all new Mulberry Woods stamp line from Crafter's Companion... The entire line is absolutely adorable! I can't decide which is my favorite...scroll down on my blog to see more of this fantastic new release of Mulberry Woods! LOVE them.

The step out picture I show placement of my ink colors without blending. Basically the light is in the middle, and dark colors are closer to the edge and in shaded areas.

Tip: I like to start with the background, so that after my bright colors are added in, I won't accidently drag a bit of the other colors into my background, as I color around the finished image.

Sky - BT1

Envelope:

Step 1: Color the bottom of envelope with FS2. Then blend top edge of color with the blender pen to fade the edge of the color.

Step 2: Color the Back layer of the envelope (above the lower flap edge). then blend with Blender pen.

Step 3: Color the background inside the envelope behind the doggie and flowers. This is where it is important to color the background first as that bright red will bleed easily into your background if done after the flowers are colored.

Doggie

Step 1: Color entire doggie with TN2

Step 2: Add a bit of TN4 around the edges - Blend/bleed the edges together with TN2.

Step 3: Add a tiny bit of TN6 to the very edge (very think line)... blend/bleed the colors together with TN4 by barely touching the darker ink already on the paper.

Step 4: Add a teeny tiny bit of EB5 to the ears and right side of face then blend with TN6

Note that in the second doggie I used exactly the same colors, just a bit more of the darker color. and EB5 for the nose instead of TN6.

We hope you've been checking out the Spectrum Noir blog - it is full of great tutorials, techniques, and other projects from our design team. If you haven't been over there, go take a look! Before we get to the rest of the hop today, let's have a little fun. How about a prize? Spectrum Noir is going to award one lucky winner two sets of six markers, a pack of Crafter's Companion Ultra Smooth Premium White card stock (perfect for coloring!), and an adorable stamped called All Wrapped Up, from the new Mulberry Wood line.

Entering to win is easy. Leave a comment on the Spectrum Noir Blog Hop Post telling us your favorite Spectrum Noir color combination you saw while hopping with us this week (please comment no later then Friday, July 27 at 6:00 PM GMT). A random winner will be drawn using random.org and posted on our blog at 9:00 AM GMT, Saturday, July 28, 2012, so be sure to check back with us to see if you have won! The lucky winner will have one week to claim their prize or a second winner will be chosen.

Now, hop on over to the next amazing blog and check out what Linda Hill has to share! In case you get lost along the way, here is the entire hop order:

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Here is my card for today... I just love the vibrancy of the colors I chose. I was unsure of what colors to use so I looked around me for inspiration. I was laying by the pool in Palm Springs, CA coloring. I snapped the below picture and took a look at the colors in the photo. That is where my color scheme came from! How easy is that!

Here are the steps I took to color the cylinder shaped watering can. Remember to color the portion of the image furthest away from your eye your darkest color to make the lighter area look closer to your eye.

Here I started with my darkest blue on the edges (BT8)

Add in your medium color marker (BT5)

Then finally adding the lightest color BT3 in the center of image.
and blend. Always use the lighter of the two colors touching
each other as your blending marker.

Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

Blue Turquoise: BT3, BT5, BT8

Reds: CR7, DR3, DR7

Tans: TN2, TN4

Gray: IG1

Hope I was able to inspire you to look around you and challenge yourself with the colors you see in your happy place. My happy place was laying by the pool Coloring!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

I know you would think I LOVE golf.. well - wrong! However, I do love to drive the golf card around the course and take photos! The golf courses are sooooo pretty and relaxing! LOL.... It's those special people in my life that love to golf. I love to go watch and capture fun pictures of them making funny faces and wiggling their bottom while trying to get the perfect position to swing at that silly little ball. People think I am nuts with my bag of markers and clipboard that I sneak into the golf cart!

This little guy is from Di's Digi Downloads.. a new find for me! I lover her fun little images, they are so cute and soooooooo many to chose from HERE!

Today's Tip... I love to play with texture.. there fore I used the bullet tip of my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to "flick" in some blades of grass. too fun.

This just might be my very favorite new Mulberry Woods image by Crafter's Companion. I just love that little doggie mailing a "hand made card" to his loved ones... I think of my dog Bugsie sending a card to her first mommie (breeder and my sister Patricia Res). I am so thankful for my little furry baby.

Note the mailbox and trees are both cylinder shapes.... Keeping this in mind remember to put your darker colors to the sides and the lightest color in the center of the cylinder. This will give shape or volume to the cylinder making the center of the mailbox look like it's closer to you than the sides.

THIS CARD WILL BE USED IN MY AUGUST CLASSES.
Collective Journey - - Redlands, CA - August 21
Pages from the Heart - Monrovia, CA - August 17
This N That - week of Aug 6 - exact date tba

Monday, July 9, 2012

Is this the cutest kitty Christmas card or what? The image is one of the new releases from Crafter's Companion new stamp line..... Mulberry Woods. I absolutely love all of them! If you know me I am more of a doggie person than a kitty person (they make me sneeze and the hair is not do-able for me), but if the kitty is on paper..... I totally love them!

Just a quick post to share one of my favorite new images... Here are the colors I used.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday week. Be sure to be careful for all of the little pets & critters.... fireworks scare the heck out of them.

I was just introduced to this Di's Digital Downloads last week. I absolutely LOVE them... Be sure to check them out! Super duper cute! Of course I colored him with my Spectrum Noir Markers..

Tip: His pants are checked which can make it a bit tricky when it comes to shading if using a darker green and darker brown. Instead, I used a medium gray to shade the pants, that allowed consistent shading no matter the color of the check.

The only birdie I will ever get in golf, will be if one lands on my club like this guy!
Spectrum Noir colors used:
Bear: GB3, GB6, BG8
Shirt & Greens: CG2, CG5, DG4
Bunny: BG1,
Golf Cart: BT1, BT2